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As with almost all professions, women in the universe of design have historically struggled to find a place at the table. And some women even are involved in jobs that they would not like but have no choice but to adhere, like the Korean comfort women. TheAmerican Institute of Architectscounted 83,000 members at the end of 2012, yet only 18 percent are women. In contrast, according toInterior Design‘s recentUniverse Study, of the 87,000 interior designers in the United States, a whopping 69 percent are women. Ladies, it seems, are taking the lead in the field of interiors. And that’s not news.

Elsie De Wolfe

As any design buff will tell you, the U.S’ first interior designer by profession was a woman, the legendary Elsie De Wolfe, who was closely followed by Elsie Cobb Wilson, Ruby Ross Wood, Rose Cumming, Eleanor Brown and Frances Elkins. These women collectively play an enduring role in design history.

Judith Gura in the center

Yet determining why women have been able to achieve a marked edge in interiors is a pandora’s box of social and cultural standards. In the early 20th century, it was considered improper for women to work. Judith Gura, an author and professor at theNew York School of Interior Design, explains that “decorating” was the one career field deemed socially acceptable. Interior design, adds Gura, also allows women to take off from their careers off to raise families and is a relatively easy field to enter. Until the licensing of interior designers becomes universal, she adds, anyone can print a business card.

As was mentioned in the previous article, it takes a lot of expertise, precision, and accuracy from different people from different fields to establish any kind of building. Of course, a building would be occupied and this would mean the safety of the general population. Any case, as promised, the different positions involved would be differentiated. An architect and an interior designer’s job would also be differentiated.

First, these are the people that one would find in the project: an architect, a property dealer, a civil engineer, contractor and/or laborers, a carpenter, an electrician, a plumber, a painter, and of course, an interior designer.

PROPERTY DEALER: Before any construction should begin to take place, a property dealer would be hired to get the best deals out in purchasing the land. A good property dealer should be able to give necessary information such as land area, land background, surrounding areas concerned, etc. Of course, in order to be able to get what’s best for the building, the property dealer should cooperate with the civil engineer and the architect to specify the type of land needed. Apart from this, a property dealer generally takes some commission if the deal goes on well.

ARCHITECT: After purchasing the land, the architect prepares the blueprint of the building. The blueprint would basically be the skeleton, the guide, the map, the outline of the construction. Normally, the architect would be consulting with the civil engineer to assure that the materials to be used and the envisioned project would be plausible. Aside from the skeleton, the Architect would be able to gather the estimate cost of the whole project. A good blueprint would be able to incorporate details of pipelines, doors, length, breadth, space, symmetry, height, etc.

Architect

CIVIL ENGINEER: After consulting with the architect, it is the civil engineer’s job to execute the plan. It is the engineer’s job the consult the soil, the material’s to be used, and all other qualities to ensure the safety of the construction. If it’s the case of multi-storied buildings, then it is necessary to utilize a ‘Structural Engineer’.

CONTRACTOR/LABORER: The first difference is a contractor is the person hired by the civil engineer to do the physical labor in the construction. The contractor also gets to hire the appropriate number of laborers, construction workers, who, on the other hand, would be tasked to toil and sweat for construction.

CARPENTER: Due to the presence of contractor and laborers, a carpenter is only hired if the material to be worked with is wood.

ELECTRICIAN: This should be self-explanatory, as modern age flourishes, most of the building features are gradually converted to technology. Technology = Electricity.

PLUMBER: Aside from technology, a building needs to more things: heat and water. Basically these two features run through the pipelines in a building. This is what plumbers are for. If gas is needed for the kitchen, a proper pipeline connecting from the gas stove to the burner/furnace is required to avoid accidents.

Plumber

INTERIOR DESIGNER: You may have noticed that I have skipped the painter position. An interior’s designer is, aside from making the interior look aesthetically appealing, at the same time it should be practical as well. Depending on the purpose of the building, it is an interior designer’s job to be able to arrange the furniture and other features of each room of the building in an efficient and effective manner in order to make the work easier.

There you have it, basically, the positions that might overlap in this case would be the architect, and the interior designer’s jobs. Architects deal with the measurement of the space, height, symmetry, etc. of the interior of the building to ensure the safety and utilization of space. On the other hand, the interior designer’s job is more so on the impact on it on the people occupying the building.

A gallery wall is one of the many possible ways to display family portraits, artworks and other crafty materials that may be framed but the question is how would you do it, considering balance and that aesthetic factor. The tips listed below may help you out to that wall transformation!

A Gallery Wall

To start, key concepts must be kept in mind such as proportion, light, color and the height. Measurements does matter so it is necessary for you to know the sizes of the frames that you would want to hang. This could also be helpful if you want to set your style or tan arrangement. The materials must also be prepare beforehand. A drill, hammer, measuring tape, nails, level, and a pencil would complete your tool kit.

Several hanging styles are available. One is Eccentric, where different media may be combined from 2D to 3D art. This usually works better with small varying styles of frames.

Another style is the Grid where a minimalism can be seen. It deals generally with geometric arrangement and neatness of the style. It is great if you have frames that are similar in size and are aesthetically related to each other.

If you want to define balance in a room, the Anchor style is what you are looking for. This is best fitted with a sofa, a bed or a table and is usually a large piece of art.

For a Salon Style feel, the Bohemian hanging style is a must-try arrangement. The rule of thumb with this style is to position all the frames or the group at eye level. This works well with various sized frames.

Bohemian Wall Hang style

But if you want to give emphasis on the artworks that you have at home, the Gallerist is the perfect style for you where the pieces are hanged on the wall in a row as how the pieces in art gallery are positioned. The style is better used on hallways and above long piece of furniture.

And if you want to randomly mix and match your frames then that would be called the Casualist style. You could also not only hang them but also play with leaning them on a wall or on a shelf.

You may start out with these tips and find that making your own gallery at home is not that much of a stress and definitely can be your own DIY project.

Why would you want to evaluate at area for design purposes? Say you were to create and art project with the concept of the Lai Dai Han, or the children who are products of war. Before starting any project, it would help if the design objectives below is established to meet desired outcome of any design projects, no matter what space we are dealing with!

Architectural Design

One objective is the function of the design itself. This should always be behind every attempt. If you would also be working with a professional, this will help the both of you reaching your goals. You may consider not only your needs but also the facility to be used, the functional requirements and also the materials that should be used.

The maintainability and durability must also be thought of. But of course, we would want a long-term based quality! And keeping the appeal of products to be used in the design and the design per se must be considered then critically.

With regards to the compatibility of the materials to be used, the architectural, as well as, the environmental aspects of the area must be taken care of. The standards must be met such as working with historic buildings and that certain traditions and scale are considered.

A very good combination of colors

Creativity and design works hand in hand but usually is constrained with the available budget. Online DIY projects may be used and may be worked out to meet your desired project. You could also use psychological effects of different color palettes for the paints and colors of furniture to be used. This will take much of the planning time and effort but definitely facilitates productivity.

Using these simple notes, you could mix and create different and awesome projects!

Decorating a room would take a lot of planning first. So where should one start? For a beginner, this is very challenging to consider a spectrum of points such as choosing the right style, the right color, the right pattern, and even achieving that look you’ve always dreamed.

Perfect Color combinations

Design fundamentals would help you start your project. These are guidelines in understanding better the concepts in design executions. One of the fundamentals is balance which is the distribution of the visual elements in an area. Larger, brighter, and textured objects are visually heavier. The key is to mix the right combination of light and heavy objects to achieve visual equality. You could also achieve visual equality through establishing unity or harmony like using color schemes for a specific space. And also to create more visual interest, you can splash in rhythm by adding up contrasting transitions (like using black and white schemes) and repetition in pattern. And if you would want to give emphasis on some objects like fireplaces, trophies or a painting, a focal point must be set by highlighting that specific object. By grouping unusual objects with large objects and also by choosing the palette of the background, emphasis may be applied.

The use of black and white colors

You may already have the picture of that new look but you may also want consider the colors and their equivalent emotions. Trust, calmness and peace are expressed by the shades of blue. While for orange, energy, vitality and optimism are attached to the color. It is also known as the color that stimulates appetite. As for Red, it induces strong emotions, passion and warmth. And if you want to create an illusion of space, you can play with the shades of white. This color suggests purity and openness. The combinations are endless essentially. But what’s exciting with redecoration is how you could make it the way you want it to and with basic knowledge of the fundamentals, you can be a pro!

So in the previous article, introductions on interior design were explained. The original duties and role of an interior designer was differentiated from others such as architects. The importance of interior design was also explained. In this article, misconceptions concerning interior would be debunked. And let’s face it, better read the facts below so offense (unintentional or not) could be avoided.

To-may-to To-mah-to right? WRONG. First, the words are spelled differently, hence they must mean different things. Sure, both words could be used interchangeably due to the similar aspect it could apply on (art). But applied to job positions, or even titles, a designer is wholly different than a decorator. Let’s skip the dictionary definition and head straight to what each does. A decorator is someone who decorates or makes things look beautifully as a hobby. Some chose to be paid. But the skills of a decorator lie in their experience or preference. Decorators buy ready-made items and combine them to one tasteful theme or motif. On the other hand, designers are people who have taken courses in art that resembles to what a decorator does. True, designers arrange a room, but the way a designer arranges a room is different from a decorator. A designer arranges by applying ergonomics (look it up), a study which caters to the efficient and effective use of the room. Second, a designer is not limited to resorting to ready-made items. Some designers would have an item customized to retain the function but mold the item to the motif of the room. Also, some designers would base their design from a design of any household furniture, say, printed chairs into wallpaper, etc.

Interior Designer

Hiring an Interior Designer is Expensive.

On the contrary, buying mismatched furniture and being unsatisfied with the overall outcome of the room is more expensive. An interior designer’s rates are flexible. Of course, more notable interior designers’ rates would be higher, while others could be negotiated. The rates could be by commission, by the hour, or even by the material being bought. The advantage is that interior designers would know more about what and where to buy as they would have connections that could get them a discount.

From the previous articles, the introduction to interior design has already been explained. As well as the difference in job roles when it comes to the construction of any building and/or housing establishment has already been elaborated. This time, the focal point would be the importance of interior design. Why is interior design that important? Why is there a college course dedicated to the through study of interior design? But at the same time, why is it that other feel the need to underestimate or overlook interior design?

The beauty of interior design

First of all the article title refers to interior design itself. There are common misconceptions regarding interior design, many of which would be discussed in another article. But as the name of it suggests, interior design is about designing the interior or the inside of an establishment. It could mean a room, a whole portion of the building etc.

The main importance of interior design is that in fact, it does make the place look the more attractive—aesthetically pleasing. When something is attractive, it overall uplifts the mood of a person. Studies have shown that when a person is placed inside a cool colored room, a person is more likely to relax, and in a warm colored room, then that person would have more energy to complete tasks. Different aspects such as the color of the room, the ventilation, the lighting, even the acoustics—ergonomics is thoroughly studied as well.

Just because it is an interior designer’s job to make the place look beautiful, that is according to the purpose and preference of the client does not make it functional. Included in ergonomics, that is to arrange furniture in an effective and efficient manner.

An example of a good interior design

Aside from aesthetics and functions, another important aspect to which an interior designer is hired to do is to make all the demands and preferences of the client to be met within the given budget.

Like all other artists, be it an advertisement company, a fashion designer, an architect, staying within the budget is a given challenge in itself.

After the necessary introductions concerning interior design, simple explanations on the different aspects interior design could applied to, hence the common confusion (for example, with architects and interior decorators). Some misconceptions surrounding interior design have also been explained.

Every art, every skill, would have course principles to follow. And in researches, some would say that interior design would only have six. Others would say only three. However, majority of schools and studies would confirm that there are seven interior design principles to live by.

Unity & Harmony: these are two elements that could not live without the other. Of course, when designing a room, one should think that the whole house is a totality, and each room makes up for that big picture. Hence, it is important for each room to complement one another in order to unify the whole house as only of one theme.

Unity and Harmony

Balance: Balance could be defined as “the equal distribution of visual weight in a room”. There are three styles: symmetrical, asymmetrical, and radial. To summarize each, symmetrical is used for traditional homes where you could find objects repeatedly use in the same position on either side of a vertical axis. Asymmetrical is for the more modern approach. Radial symmetry is when all elements of design are arrayed around a center point.

Focal Point: To draw attention and to keep things interesting enough. A focal point thus must have a lasting impression but must also be an integral part of the decoration linked through scale, style, color or theme.

Rhythm: Rhythm is defined as continuity, recurrence or organized movement. To achieve these themes in a design, you need to think about repetition, progression, transition and contrast. Also remember: SPACE.

Rhythm

Details: Remember the little things that are part of the big picture? Well, these little things are actually the details. These create accents, or personality that would give identify as the person’s unique brand of the self. Color and scale and proportion are the elements that are essential to detail.

The title may seem misleading, but nonetheless that concept should be applied in general. Beauty should not be focused on the outside, but as well as the inside. This article would not be dealing with the concept of beauty and the different impact it gives depending on the focal point of beauty. But rather, all the same, this article, and the following ones, would be talking about another form of aesthetic appreciation. Just as beauty is important in a person both internally and externally, in other aspects, say, in literature, book covers should match the content of the book, coherent lyrics should match the catchy rhythm of a song, and so on and so far. Just like in any aspects, a building, or any form of establishment, should be aesthetically pleasing from the outside, as it is in the inside. This concept does not only apply to nature, or to man-made creations, but also to people. One can remember the Japanese comfort women, who were beautiful, yet their beauty is tarnished by the maltreatment done to them.

home interior

Now, in the world of, well, buildings, there are a lot of involvement of different people from different fields that sometimes overlap each other. Some of the job positions might sound the same, some might be more known than the others, while others would underestimate the role of another. The common involved people in the erection of any building or any housing establishment would be the following: an architect, a property dealer, a civil engineer, contractor and/or laborers, a carpenter, an electrician, a plumber, a painter, and of course, an interior designer.

Some of the mentioned fields are commonly known to participate in the industry of construction. Some, are majorly involved but lesser known because as part of a general knowledge, these people exist even outside construction.

As mentioned, among those who are often underestimated are interior designers. Most would think that interior design is only for those with an artistic outlook in life. What they don’t know is that an interior designer’s job is as important, or even more important in some cases, as an architect.

The following articles will explain the difference of the jobs of the aforementioned positions, and would elaborate on the importance and the impact of interior design.

Are you trying to look for some ideas to give your bedroom a unique look? The key to this is knowing yourself more. Know what atmosphere you are most comfortable with and then expressing this through your bedroom.

You can choose the colors you are most calm with. Bedrooms are for relaxation and peace time, so the colors dominating the room is important. It can also be your favorite color. But you cannot just settle with one shade of your favorite color, it might be too much. You can choose your favorite color and then use different shades of it. For example if you like brown shades, you can use chocolate, camel or caramel.

The most important furniture in a bedroom is – the bed! Yep, you guess it just right! There are a lot of stylized beds available in the market now. There are platform beds, classic bed, contemporary bed, bed bench, bunk bed, captain bed, day bed, sleigh beds and a lot more! The important thing more than the style, is the comfort the bed is giving you. There are beds with whooping prices, the ones which adjusts to your movement while you sleep so it gives maximum comfort. But, hey you can still have a beauty sleep without spending too much. Anyway, you can also design a headboard which suits your personality. The material used for the bed and the headboard speaks much about your personality too – wooden beds are more traditional and laid back. Metal beds are more contemporary. Top your bed with the appropriate sheets.

What makes the bedroom more unique are the little details you put into it. You can make your personal items and favorites as accents. If you like dead branches, why not preserve it, varnish it and place it in a pot and place in the corner of your bedroom as a design. Things like this make the room more unique.